2009 Northern Pride RLFC season

2009 was the second competitive season for the Cairns based CRGT Northern Pride Rugby League Football Club. They were one of 12 clubs that played in the fourteenth season of Queensland's top rugby league competition, QRL's Wizard Queensland Cup.

The readmission of the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles meant 12 clubs competed. with each club playing 11 home games and 11 away games over 26 weeks between March and August.

The Northern Pride worked through the financial troubles they faced at the end of last season, with the North Queensland Cowboys and NRL partnerships guaranteeing funding. New chairman, Bob Fowler, submitted a revised budget for the 2009 season, noting that the former chairman's financial guarantees to cover any shortfall would not be honoured. QRL Managing Director Ross Livermore and QRL Competitions and Operations Manager Bill Hunter approved the new budget. The Pride trained and operated out of their new home, Pride Oval on Irene Street, Mooroobool, and held their first match there, a pre-season trial against PNG Telikom Sun Engineering Resident Kumuls, attracting over 4,000 spectators. The club launched an email newsletter for members called 'Pride Pulse e-newsletter'.

In order to avoid the Wet season rain and a repeat of last seasons Round 1 mud-bath, the Pride's first two matches were away games. Home games were moved from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Saturdays, and for the first time, a Friday night home match was scheduled on the Queen's Birthday long weekend. The QRL expanded the finals series from five teams to six for the 2009 season.

There was some controversy in Round 9 when Mackay Cutters Roy Baira broke Pride  Luke Millwood's jaw in a high tackle. Referee Brendon Rose penalised the Cutters and placed Baira on report, but did not send him off. Pride coach Dunneman questioned the referees decision, and later questioned the QRL tribunal after Baira was banned for only four weeks for the offence. The QRL fined the Pride $3,000 for Dunemann's comments.

Although the Pride lost three consecutive games between Rounds 14 and 16, they won four of the last five rounds. They finished in second place with fourteen wins for the season, four points behind the minor-premiers, Souths Logan Magpies, and one place better than they finished last year. Second place meant the Pride got to host their week 1 final game, the first ever home final appearance. There was a scheduling clash at Barlow Park, as rival code CDRU had already booked the ground for their grand final. The Pride agreed to delay kick-off until 8:00 pm, when they comprehensively beat Norths Devils 44-16.

The victory should have allowed the Pride to host the preliminary final, but the match was scheduled to be broadcast on TV and the ABC were unable to make outside broadcasts from Cairns. Despite a petition signed by over 750 Pride players, fans, administrators, local Councillors and MPs wishing to keep the game in FNQ, the TV rights prevailed, and the game was played 1,700 kilometres away in Brisbane in front of a small crowd. Despite the loss of home-ground advantage, the Pride beat Central Comets to reach their maiden Grand Final against newcomers Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles.

The final was played at the Sea Eagles home ground, Stockland Park, with the Sea Eagles fielding nine first-grade players from their NRL feeder club, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. The Pride lost 32–18. A bet between the mayors of Noosa (Sunshine Coast) and Cairns, resulted in the Cairns mayor, Val Schier, having to wear a Sea Eagles jersey to work.

Coach Andrew Dunemann initially signed up for another year as the Pride's coach, but after a chance meeting with NRL's Newcastle Knights coach Rick Stone, he resigned to take up a position as assistant coach under Stone.

A survey conducted by Cumming Economic determined the Northern Pride's economic benefit to the Cairns region in 2009 was $7,000,000.

2009 Season –CRGT Northern Pride

 * Competition: Wizard Queensland Cup
 * Sponsor: Cairns Region Group Training (CRGT), three-year naming rights sponsorship.

Coaches/Trainers

 * Coach: Andrew Dunemann
 * Assistant coach: David Maiden
 * Mal Meninga Cup U-18s coach: David Maiden
 * Mal Meninga Cup U-18s assistant coach: Cameron 'Spilla' Miller
 * Mal Meninga Cup U-18s manager: Joe Maguire
 * Cyril Connell Cup U-16s coach: Greg Malenstein
 * Cyril Connell Cup U-16s manager: Nathan Woods
 * Strength and conditioning coach: Scott Callaghan

Captains

 * Chris Sheppard
 * Chey Bird (Round 5)

Managers

 * Operations manager: Chris Sheppard
 * Team manager: Rob White
 * Office Manager: Sheron McDougall
 * Chief executive: Denis Keeffe
 * Chairman: Bob Fowler
 * Board of Directors: Greg Dowling, Nigel Tillett, Craig Meiklejohn, Bob Fowler.

2009 squad
The Pride used 36 players this season. Twenty-one players from last year signed with the club again, and three of the Cowboys allocation players from last year were assigned to the Pride again this year. Twelve new players made their debut this season; four were new signings (Rod Jensen, Tom Humble, Chris Riesen and Germaine Paulson), and eight were new Cowboys allocation players (Nick Slyney*, James Tamou*, Clint Amos*, Brandon Boor*, Manase Manuokafoa*, Carl Webb* and Travis Burns*).

Chris Sheppard (c)

Adam Mills

Alex Starmer

Ben Laity

Callan Myles

Chey Bird

Chris Riesen

Drew Campbell

Germaine Paulson

Greg Byrnes

Gordon Rattler

Hezron Murgha

Jamie Frizzo

Jason Roos

Joel Riethmuller

Josh Vaughan

Luke Harlen

Luke Millwood

Mark Cantoni

Noel Underwood

Quincy To'oto'o-ulugia

Richie Marsters

Rod Griffin

Rod Jensen

Tom Humble

Ben Kerr

John O'Sullivan

Robbie Kyles

Warren Jensen

Brandon Boor*

Carl Webb*

Clint Amos*

David Pangai*

James Tamou*

John Williams*

Manase Manuokafoa*

Matthew Bartlett*

Nick Slyney*

Travis Burns*

Ty Williams*

Allocated but did not play for the Pride in 2009:

Aaron Payne

Ashley Graham

Matt Bowen

Scott Bolton

Steve Southern

2009 season launch

 * Pre-Season Training: 25 November 2008.
 * Pre-Season Boot Camp: Echo Adventures, Tully, 31 January–1 February 2009.
 * Season Launch:: 12 March 2009, 6.30pm, Centre Stage, Cairns Central Shopping Centre.

2009 player awards
Held at Brothers Leagues Club on 25 September 2009.
 * Most Improved Player (sponsored by the CDRL): Nick Slyney*
 * Cairns Plan Printing Best Back: Rod Jensen
 * Skytrans Airlines Best Forward: Mark Cantoni
 * WIN Television Players' Player: Tom Humble
 * John O'Brien Perpetual Club Person of the Year: Sheron McDougall
 * Skill360 Northern Pride Player of the Year: Tom Humble

2009 Queensland Residents team

 * Rod Jensen
 * Tom Humble
 * Mark Cantoni

Northern Pride (regular season 2009)

 * Win = 14 (9 of 11 home games, 5 of 11 away games)
 * Loss = 8 (2 of 11 home games, 6 of 11 away games)

Finals Series
In 2009, after using a five-team finals series for 10 years, the Queensland Cup used a six-team system.

Grand Final
The Northern Pride, who finished the regular season in second, qualified for their first Grand Final after a 22–10 win over the Central Comets in the preliminary final. They were joined by the Sunshine Coast, who finished fourth in their return season, after they defeated reigning premiers Souths Logan 30–26 in the preliminary final.

First half
The Pride opened the scoring in the fifth minute when they created a huge overlap, with centre Jamie Frizzo finishing off the play with a try. The Sunshine Coast responded quickly when five-eighth Tony Williams bumped off a defender and threw an offload to centre Shane Neumann who crossed for his first try. The Sea Eagles hit the lead in the 27th minute when winger Michael Chapman scored untouched in the corner. They scored again four minutes later when Ryan Walker scored in the opposite corner. Poor goal kicking kept the Pride in the contest, as Williams missed all three conversion attempts. The Pride converted a penalty from right in front on the stroke of half time to trail by just eight at the break.

Second half
The Sunshine Coast extended the lead to 10 in the 47th minute when Williams dived over for a try of his own. The Sea Eagles kept the points coming when Neumann dived over in the corner for his second just six minutes later. With just over 10 minutes remaining, the Pride gave themselves a chance when Rod Jensen scored and cut the Sea Eagles' lead to 10. Three minutes later, the Sunshine Coast all but sealed victory when halfback Trent Hodkinson scored close to the posts. The Pride scored a late consolation try when Humble latched onto a wayward Sea Eagles' pass and ran 80 metres to score under the uprights. In the final minute, Neumann crossed for his hat trick as the Sea Eagles' wrapped up a 14-point victory.

Tony Williams, who was awarded the Duncan Hall Medal, and second rower Vic Mauro would go onto play in the Manly Sea Eagles' 2011 NRL Grand Final win over the New Zealand Warriors.

2009 venues
The Pride played matches at 15 different venues this year, 14 in Queensland and one in NSW:
 * Pride Oval, Cairns.
 * NQ Hardware Stadium, Atherton.
 * Barlow Park, Cairns.
 * Ned Byrne Oval, Kingscliff.
 * Briggs Rd Sporting Complex, (Ipswich.
 * Pizzey Park, Gold Coast.
 * Albert Bishop Park, Nundah.
 * Browne Park, Rockhampton.
 * Davies Park, Brisbane.
 * Langlands Park, Brisbane.
 * Stockland Park, Sunshine Coast.
 * BMD Kougari Oval, Brisbane.
 * Dolphin Oval, Redcliffe.
 * Mackay Junior Fields, Mackay.
 * BMD Kougari Oval, Brisbane.

2009 Televised Games
In 2009 games were televised by ABC TV and shown live across Queensland through the ABC1 channel at 2.00pm (AEST) on Saturday afternoons. The commentary team was Gerry Collins, Warren Boland and David Wright.

The Round 1 match against Tweed Heads Seagulls at Cudgen Oval was scheduled to be televised, but the satellite dish needed for the link was being used for news coverage of the Moreton Island oil spill, and so ABC1 showed the match between Norths Devils and Easts Tigers instead.

The Pride appeared in five televised games this season:
 * Round 5: Northern Pride lost to Burleigh Bears 10–30 at Pizzey Park, Gold Coast.
 * Round 15: Northern Pride lost 18–30 to Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles at Stockland Park, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast.
 * Round 18: Northern Pride beat Redcliffe Dolphins 54–24 at Dolphin Oval, Redcliffe.
 * Semi-Final: Northern Pride beat Central Comets 22–10 at BMD Kougari Oval, Wynnum.
 * Grand Final: Northern Pride lost to Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles 18–32 at Stockland Park, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast.